Just Like That
by daydreamernightdoer
Summary: Santana Lopez never expected one chance encounter with a little girl and her older sister, two rays of sunshine, to change her heart just like that.
1. Chapter 1

Life hasn't always been this hard. I remember a time when all I cared about was where my damn brother was hiding. He has always been better than me at hide and seek, both in the hiding and seeking part. I remember when the only reason I couldn't sleep was because I couldn't wait till the morning to open all the presents perched underneath the giant christmas tree, when the worst pain I felt was from a scrape I've just gotten on my knee after falling down from running around with not so much as an inkling of care about was happening around me. Life was so much easier back then, no worries, no troubles. I wonder why I was very eager to grow up. It is not at all as fun as I thought it would be. I envy the little kids I see around me, their faces free from all the creases born from all the stress and anxiety, their innocence and obliviousness shielding them from the harsh reality of the world. Ignorance is bliss as they say.

Maybe that's why I don't like them as much. Kids irritate me for some reason, maybe now I know why. Why did I even agree with Quinn to drag me in here? I figured it's because I'm a pretty awesome friend who would give a friend support even if that means I had to follow her to the least appealing place, a kindergarten. She wanted to do a paper for some social issue on something, I lost interest while she was explaining. While she's inside interviewing the head teacher of some sort, she left me outside by the waiting area where a bunch of kids are also waiting for their parents to pick them up. If there was a way of torturing me, this was it.

"Why are your eyebrows scrunched up together?"

Reality sinks back in as a bubbly voice interrupts my train of thought. I tilt my head up to see an expectant face of a little girl looking at me. Her dirty blonde hair is kept neatly with pigtails sticking out from both sides of her head. She has her hands clasped behind her back as she impatiently waits for my reply, bouncing up and down on the tip of her toes.

"I was just thinking about something." I finally manage to reply.

I purposely use a dismissive tone in my voice, trying to avoid further prying from the child. Another reason I dislike kids is their never-ending questions. I understand it is vital for their growth to fill their curiosity, but I never signed up for that job.  
The girl's eyes seem to grow more confused as she takes in my answer.

"I think about things all the time, but I never have my eyebrows scrunched up as closely like that." She immediately shots back with pure confidence as she points a finger at my forehead. I might have been furrowing my eyebrows still. A deep sigh escapes my mouth as I realize this little girl is one of those kids who seems to never be satisfied with just one answer, I am in for a long ride.

"Well maybe because we think about different things." My patience was growing thinner by the second, but I know I can't lash out on her. She's just a curious little mind, she doesn't deserve to be on the receiving end of my vicious, vicious words, as people have said. And so I hold back, just hoping my answers bore this pig-tailed bumblebee and she'd leave me alone. She's smiling now though, for god knows why.

"What were you thinking about then?" She exclaims rather too enthusiastically, her smile broadening by the second.

'Look little bird, I've no time for your 20 questions, so why don't you just skip your pig-tailed ass back to you mothers cave, and try to be a better asset to this place we call earth by never uttering a word to me again.' I can't let my temper run off, not right now, and so I hold myself back from uttering the words I would have said from the start if it would have been someone else in front of me. Someone older and with less hypnotizing eyes. Instead I patiently answer the girl again.

"Adult stuff." I decide to just answer as nonchalantly, showing no interest. Maybe that'll turn her off.

"Oh.." The little girl's brows arch upward, creasing her forehead.

"My sister says adults think about stuff I wouldn't understand yet so I shouldn't try to find out what they're thinking about."

I was about to say something before she stopped me and continued with her short babbling.  
"She told me that when I was wondering what mom and dad were shouting about. I don't like it when they're shouting.", she finishes off with a pout.

I immediately felt bad for this little girl. It wasn't long ago that I went through the same thing. My parents started to have conversations with voice raised higher than usual, next thing I know, I was switching between houses every other week. I didn't get a breakdown over it. I was just 12, but divorce wasn't something new to me. A couple of my friends parents were already going through it, and I've had an idea what it was all about by how much they talk about it. At the time I thought it was gonna be fun, two sets of gifts, two parents giving you money, it was bittersweet. It wasn't at all like that though. Everything was just so sad and depressing. It was a year later that things started to pick up. My dad found a girlfriend, and even though I was a little bit jealous, I liked seeing him happy again. Same thing with my mom. Again, it was bittersweet.  
I looked at the little girl with my eyes filled with sympathy now rather than annoyance from a few seconds ago.

"Well you're sister's right you know. Don't think too much about it, just remember it's never your fault." Instantly she smiled up at me.  
"That's what Britty says too!" This time she was grinning so wide, it was infectious and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Bree.." A soft call made the little girl turn around on the spot. I automatically followed her view.  
"Britty!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. The girl who called for her stood just a few feet away. She was so…bright. Everything about her just shined. With her blonde hair swaying by her shoulders, she approached me and, I'm assuming, Bree. Her bright smile never faltering. Before she could take the last step towards us, Bree jumped on her with a loud squeal.

"Whoah Breezy, slow down. Why are you so excited, I just saw you this morning?"

I couldn't help myself but smile at the cuteness in front of me, but immediately berated myself for thinking so. I don't like kids and cute things, I reminded myself.

The bright girl looked over Bree's shoulder and straight at me. She seemed to now be aware of my existence. As she was dislodging Bree from her, she gave me an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, did Bree here bother you?" I couldn't answer right away with those piercing blue eyes staring right back at me. It was so easy to get lost into and I found myself doing just that. She subtly cleared her throat and just like that the spell was broken. I immediately looked away and realized that she must have noticed that I was staring. I hope my being of hispanic descent was put to good use in hiding the blush I was sporting. I cleared my throat as well before finally deciding to answer her question.

"No, it was alright." I looked at Bree and saw her smiling brightly at me. They're definitely sisters.

A soft chuckle ringed through my ears and I looked back up to the taller blonde. Her smile was wider now, and that paired with the chuckle was enough to make me feel all tingly inside.

"Well I hope she wasn't too much trouble." She turned to Bree before she continued, "Ready to go Bree?"

"Yup." She nodded her head fervently.

They both gave me a soft smile before turning away and leaving. They were a feet away from the door when Bree turned back around and ran back to me. She leaned onto me and stood on her tiptoes to get to head level with me. I realized that wasn't enough so I crouched down so she could whisper to my ear.

"You look prettier when you don't have your brows scrunched up together.", And with that she ran away. I saw her tugging on her older sister's hands, and just like that they were out of sight. Just like that, being surrounded by little bouncy devils wasn't half as bad anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**So second chapter is here. Sorry to disappoint, but there won't be much Brittany or Bree this time. It focuses on another blonde. :p But a story's gotta have some backbone, and next chapter is where I make up the loss of the Double B's, if you guys are still around :D **

**I really appreciate the follows, favorites and reviews too. Thank you very much! This is really awesome! Anyways, I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy! :D**

Chapter 2

"Now there's something I never thought I'd live to see." A familiar soft, gentle voice echoed through my ears. I immediately recognized it and knew exactly who was standing just beside me. I turned and looked up and sure enough, there was Quinn. She had one eyebrow up and a teasing smirk plastered on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. I pushed one eyebrow up as well, mirroring her expression. The only difference was, while her face screamed disbelief/amusement, mine was of pure confusion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I honestly had no idea and had to ask.

"I just couldn't believe I'd see you sitting around children with a huge smile on your face. I was actually expecting a crime scene when I got back."

"Really? Then why'd you leave me here alone with these things?" I nodded my head towards the children as I said the last word, coupled with a grimace on my face.

"Children Santana, they're called children. And I figured you wouldn't want blood on your pretty white jeans."

She had a good point, these jeans are still fairly new and blindingly white. These are one of my good pants that make my ass look amazing, I wouldn't wanna risk it.

"So what it is then? You saw a hot MILF picking up their kid?" Quinn asked in a teasing voice as she sat down next to me.

"Okay first of all, no matter how hot they are, a kid is too much baggage, so no moms for me. Second, I was only smiling like that because I was imagining all these kids tied down with duct tape around their mouth." That earned a chuckle from Quinn and she seemed to believe me right away even if I just blatantly lied to her face, what I said was more like something I'd really think about anyway. She wouldn't, even for a second, believe that the real reason why I was really smiling was because of a small compliment a tiny bubbly blond girl gave me.

Even after 10 minutes after Bree and her sister left, I was still thinking about the brief encounter. No amount of screeching noise coming from tiny mouths, stabbing my ear drums, could tune out Bree's voice saying her last words to me. "You look prettier when you don't have your brows scrunched up together." I've heard that line before, or variations of it. It's something my abuela, or dad would always tell me whenever I have a scowl on my face. It's just something you say to people to stop them from frowning. But somehow, coming from the little girl, it sounded more genuine. There's something about children's innocence that just makes everything they say that much more sincere. The way she said it seemed like she was just stating a fact, like there wasn't any hidden intention in saying that I was prettier when I don't have my eyebrows furrowed.

Another thing I kept hearing in my head was her sister's angelic chuckle. The older blonde got my attention even before I saw her face. The way she called for Bree with such a gentle, caring voice drew me to her after only a second. And her smile, and her eyes, god her eyes. The two of them were perfect examples of angels on earth.

"Are you imagining murdering these kids now? God Santana, I sometimes worry for your mental stability."

With the sound of Quinn's voice, I became suddenly aware of my surroundings and realised that I was smiling to myself again.

"I'm not a psychopath like you Fabray. Can't I smile to myself without thinking of inflicting violence on others?" I rolled my eyes at her, something I've perfected over the years. If you google professional eye roller, my picture would probably pop up.

"Knowing you, I'd say no." This is just regular banter between me and Quinn, and I was about to answer back when she stopped me.

"Anyway, let's just drop this. The interview was cut short, so I'm gonna have to come back tomorrow." Quinn's tone of voice went from teasing to serious in a second. "You don't have to come tomorrow if you don't want to. This went pretty well, I think I can handle myself tomorrow. Thanks for coming today though." Just like the tone of her voice, the smirk on her face a minute ago was now replaced with a smile of appreciation.

"Anytime Q." I returned the smile back.

Quinn and I have been friends for quite a long time. We first met in freshman year, in front of the Cheerios signup sheet. We were both just standing there thinking about whether to sign-up or not. After a few minutes we both stepped forward at the same time. We both instantly stopped on our tracks and gestured for the other to go first. So I stepped forward again, but then so did she. It was awkward to say the least. It was a lot like the dance you do whenever you're walking and then see someone right in front of you. You would always step to the side, but the person in front of you would just step to the same side, blocking you again. Then that side-stepping ensues for a few more seconds. I hate it when that happens. So in the end, my temper ran out and I had to hold Quinn back.

"Okay blondie, this is definitely not working. So stay where you are, I'll go first." I tried to make my voice as calm as possible even given my growing irritation to the situation. I went ahead and wrote my name on the list, leaving the blonde, open-mouthed in surprise. She wasn't expecting me to go off on her like that. After writing up my name, I turned to her and offered her my pen, just so she didn't think I was mad at her. If she was gonna be in the squad, it wouldn't hurt to have her as a friend, she seemed cool enough. She took the pen with a timid smile and I stepped aside to give her access to the signup sheet.

"So Quinn huh? Pretty name." I said as she was giving me back my pen. She merely gave me a nod and smiled her usual timid smile. Before she could turn around and bolt away, I decided to apologize, even though that's not my specialty.

"Hey sorry for snapping at you, I just don't like awkward situations." I really wanted for her to at least accept the apology because for some weird reason I actually wanted to be friends with her.

"No it's okay, really. You let me borrow your pen so I guess i don't really have the right to be mad." She smiled again, only this time, it was her true smile.

After that Quinn and I became fast friends. We had almost every single one of our classes together and after school we both have Cheerios practice. (Yeah we got in.) We spent a lot of our time together, which lead to us becoming each other's best friend, sister even. From an outsider's point of view, they wouldn't believe that we're that close, what with all the bantering and teasing, but that's just how we show our love to each other.  
She was the first person I opened up to about my sexuality, inspite of my inner struggle that she might not want to be my friend anymore if she found out. In the end I decided that this could be a test, if she couldn't accept the fact that I am gay, then she wasn't a true friend worth keeping in the first place.

She was.

"Quinn I have something really important to tell you. I'm sorry if I kept it from you for this long, but I was having trouble accepting it myself. I just wasn't sure enough, but I've been thinking and I want you to be the first person to know cause you're my best friend, and I want you to know that whatever I might say, that I'm still Santana, your best friend. Nothing's changed, it's still me. I don't want you to think any less or differently about me after what I'm about to say." I knew that I was babbling, but I couldn't stop the word vomit, I was so nervous.

"San, breathe. I know you're gay." She said as she pulled me in for a tight hug. It was a good thing she did because I know she would forever tease me if she ever did saw my face then. I was in total shock, I was sure my jaw dropped to the floor, good thing it didn't. I could feel my eyes attempting to pop out of my eye socket, and my heart pumping 1000000x more blood than usual. As we pulled apart, I managed to tone down the shock apparent on my face.

"You wha-?" I could feel my throat closing up, I didn't know what to think.

"I said I know. Sorry for ruining your coming out speech, but I saw how your were struggling so I decided to just save you from it."

"But, how..?" I honestly still couldn't believe at that point. How could she have known when I only have known for a few months. Okay I might have known since 3rd grade, but I haven't really accepted it to myself until a few weeks prior.

"Santana, I'm your best friend. I can read you like an e-book on my smartphone."

"E-book on your smartphone?" I raised one eyebrow and gave her a look, as if to say, 'Seriously'?

"Yeah, even in the dark I can see through you."

Sometimes Quinns similes can be unusual, but still equally as brilliant.

"Besides, you weren't actually being very subtle about it. I noticed how you never complain whenever Coach Sylvester moves you to the bottom of the pyramid as a punishment."

"Oh god!" I groaned, being utterly embarrassed. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Yup." Quinn answered simply. "Hey don't sweat it okay, I'm totally cool with it."

I was so lucky I had Quinn during that part of my life when I decided to finally step out of the dreaded closet the second half of my sophomore year. She had my back and never left my side.

My family was more than accepting, or more like, half of it anyway. My dad had almost the same reaction as Quinn, saying he had his suspicion. He then proceeded to be as parenty as he can by embarrassing me, saying he could feel the Lopez womanizer blood in me. His second wife, Jenny, didn't have anything against it either. And my brother just high fived me, saying, "Impressive." and then gave me a wink. I told my father first, and it gave false hope that everything was going to be fine after all.

I told my mom the day after, and it didn't go as I had expected to say the least. She refused to say anything, and she couldn't even look at me.

"Mom say something." I pleaded, tears streaming freely down my face like an open faucet, forgotten to be closed.

"What do you want me to say Santana? That you've just shattered my dream for you, for myself, in the last 10 minutes? That my only daughter is, is..." She looked at me with disdain while she racked her brain for a word to complete her sentence. But before she could finish, I ran out of the house, refusing to accept that my own mother would ever look at me like how she just did. I didn't go to her house that week, inspite of the fact that I was to be in her house according to the schedule. I skipped the next turn too, and then I just realized one day that I've just been living with my dad for a whole year. My brother, Santino, was still living back and forth between my mom and dad. Whenever he came back to our dad, I'd find myself devastated again finding out from my brother that my mother didn't even as much as wonder if I'm still alive. My relationship with my mother has been strained ever since, and I haven't actually spoken to her for almost one and a half years. I slowly got over the hurt and betrayal that I felt from my mother over the year, and Quinn was there the whole time, giving me all the support and love I could ever need, making it all better. I love her for that, and no matter how many times she needs me to accompany her to a kindergarten, it still wouldn't amount to how much she's done for me.

"So how'd the interview go?" I asked Quinn as we were walking through the parking lot of the kindergarten.

"Well I told you it was cut short, and Mr. Howard was on the phone most of the time." Quinn shrugged and linked her arms with mine.

"What a dick. I'm surprised he wasn't too busy ogling you." I playfully bumped her with my shoulder, trying to get her mood to be better. She might not want to show it, but it was clear she was disappointed. She has been very excited on the way here, and she seemed very eager for the interview. She might have another chance again tomorrow, but she was just so excited for it today that it kinda brought her mood down.

"Oh trust me, there was plenty of that going on. But, you know me, I quickly put him in place." She said, raising her chin a little in the air.

Quinn is what you would call a feminist. If you want to get her talking, start the conversation with the exploitation of sexuality in media and advertising. She's such a feminist that she doesn't even like the word, feminism. She believes that there shouldn't even be a word for wanting equal rights for women, because for her it's about wanting equal rights for people. Disregard the talk about gender, because at the end of the day, we're all of the same species- is what comes out of her mouth every time this topic is brought up. She was very opinionated, and she was the smartest person I know. I had to admit that I might have had a tiny crush on Quinn when we first started being friends, okay maybe a huge crush on her. Who wouldn't though, because aside from being smart, Quinn was also very pretty. She had that classic timeless beauty, that went well with her loving, caring, personality. I was crushing hard, but before it got ugly, I managed to spare myself from heartbreak and accept that my best friend is as straight as a pole. I realized later on that my feelings for Quinn back then was really no more than pure platonic adoration.

"Why are you bothering with this anyway? Senior year has just started and you're already working on your senior project. You have a whole year ahead of you!" Quinn was also very hardworking and determined. While she was already taking action for her final project, I still didn't have an idea what my project would be on.

"What do you want me to do then? Do it your way? Start working on it with only a month left?"

"Well you're Quinn. You'd probably still do a great project and hand it in time." That was a totally honest opinion from me. If there's anybody who can pull something like that off, it was her. But, she prefers being prepared and organized, and she doesn't like the feeling of being rushed.

"I know." She said with a smirk.

Quinn was not very humble.

When the car was a just a few feet away, I pressed the button on the car key to unlock the door, eliciting a series of beeps from the car. I went around to the driver's side and climbed into the car. Once Quinn and I had buckled our seatbelts, I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"So same time tomorrow?" I asked, while keeping my eyes on the road.

"Yeah."

"Okay, just wait for me by the school entrance tomorrow then."

"I told you, you don't have to go with me tomorrow. It wasn't actually that bad, I don't even know why I asked you to come today." I would have groaned and chastised Quinn about that fact, telling her how she wasted my time and how she intentionally subjected me to torture. But I wouldn't do that today because I was actually glad I came with Quinn. That little talk I had with Bree was easily the highlight of my day. Now I had to convince Quinn to make me come with her tomorrow too on the off chance that I might see Bree again, or better yet, her sister too. I couldn't really justify why I wanted to see them again so badly, but I did. And what Tana wants, Tana gets.

"But you need a ride." I tried to reason with her.

"I can just ask Finn to take me. I'm sure he'll say yes." Finn is Quinn's boyfriend, who I absolutely loathe. First it was stemmed from jealousy because he and Quinn started dating at the beginning of sophomore year -right when my crush on Quinn was on its peak, but it gradually turned to just pure dislike. His dopey smile just boiled the blood in me. It probably didn't help that he was freakishly tall, which made me feel really small beside him. _Nobody makes Santana feel small!_ I honestly did not see what Quinn saw in him. And I thought she was smart.

"Finn? He'll probably just run you guys straight to a tree or something. Don't risk it, I can take you."

"Okaaay..." she drew out the word. "Why are you so adamant on going back there? You do know that place is a kindergarten right?"

"Yes. What's your point?" I feigned innocence. I should have known better though, Quinn knew there is not an innocent bone in my body.

"My point is you hate kids, and schools."

"Don't you see what an awesome best friend I am? I willingly subject myself to all that bullshit for you." I briefly glanced at her and showed her my prize winning pout. She looked at me with studying eyes before answering.

"Fine. But only because you're onto something, and I want to find out what." A small smile crept its way on my face and I mentally did a couple of fist pumps. For some reason I was already excited for tomorrow.

"Not onto something Q, can't I just be a supportive friend for once?"

"You're never not not onto something Santana, whatever it is, I just hope it has nothing to do with tying down kids and taping their mouth with duct tape."

The drive back home seemed to take less time, and before we knew it, we were right outside of Quinn's house.

"Want to stay for dinner?" She looked at me before getting out of the car.

"No thanks, Dad's making my favorite tonight. Wouldn't wanna miss that."

"Of course. Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye San." She leaned forward, and we hugged each other tightly.

"Thanks again for today." She said to my ears.

"Stop being such a sap already."

"Ow!" I jerked away as I felt her pinch me hard on my arm. I would've pinched her back but that would only lead to us hitting each other for hours, and my stomach was already protesting.

"You're such a baby you know that." Quinn said mockingly. This time it was really hard trying not to pinch her back.

"Okay, you've overstayed your welcome. Out." Quinn was laughing while she was getting out of the car. We waved goodbye to each other one last time, and I made my way home. I was feeling giddy and so excited, and I'm not sure if it's for the good food I know was waiting for me at home, or for the probable second meeting with two adorable blondes. _Wait, did I just say adorable?_


End file.
